PETA is taking its anti-fur road show to Japan this month. And I really don’t know where to begin with Aya Sugimoto, the “actress” they chose to parade in the buff for the “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” photo-op.

The whole point of going naked “for a cause” is the shock value for fans who don’t expect to see you naked. But it takes about 5 minutes with Google to figure out that Sugimoto is best known for a certain genre of Japanese soft-core pornography that leaves very little to the imagination. Watch the trailer for Sugimoto’s latest cinematic release for an idea of what I mean, or read this DVD review of a 2004 Sugimoto film described in even more lurid detail.

In other words, a PETA placard whining about mink coats probably constituted a pretty significant photo-shoot wardrobe for Sugimoto. Of course, Westerners aren’t supposed to know this about her. And PETA expects us to think slender 40-year-old Japanese women all look alike anyway.

But here’s the really fun part. Sugimoto also has several product lines of her own, including a range of beauty products called “Un Destino.” One of the companies that makes Un Destino’s ingredients writes that they include “placenta extract,” among other things. You know — from placenta. Not exactly a model that PETA would ever endorse.

So I got curious about what other animal products might be lurking in the stuff PETA’s newest Asian spokesnudie promotes. Another ten minutes with Google’s translator, and faster than you can say とらえた (that’s Japanese for “gotcha”) … well, you be the judge.

Un Destino’s “Sabinna” supplement pills include:

• N-acetylglucosamine, derived from crabs and shrimp; and
• red and white mucopolysaccharide complex derived from salmon.

Hey! Doesn’t PETA have a huge campaign against killing fish, crustaceans, and other seafood? Yep.

PETA’s also not a big fan of wearing leather. Guess who disagrees?

This is from Japan Today:

Asked about leather products, she said she still continues to buy them because “leather production is different from fur production.” However, Sugimoto said she has never visited fur production facilities but had seen photos and movies of them on the Internet.

Another one bites the dust. Any of you die-hard PETAphiles out there want to defend this Far East faker?

PETA? Anyone?